00:00I have a sixth scenario, Lock It In, to present to you.
00:06Wow, a Ken Laird-produced Lock It In?
00:10Yes, I do.
00:11I get to enjoy being on the other side of this for once. I like this.
00:14Now, I don't know if you'll enjoy it because these are all negative.
00:17However, there's a reason for doing this. This is a stress test.
00:20I want to establish what's a successful Red Sox season or not,
00:24and these scenarios will help us do it, even if the worst case things happen.
00:29These are going to go up in order.
00:31And so, Rich, I want to start with you.
00:34Success or failure if the Red Sox lose, respectively, three games.
00:40They play well. Their starters pitch well.
00:42The young guys contribute. It's a tight game three.
00:44The Yankees simply make one more play. Success or failure?
00:48Oh, that's a success. Absolute success.
00:51Agree. Lock it in.
00:52Oh, man. Wrong. Failure.
00:54Are you guys soft or softer than soft?
01:00Oh, these are going to get worse, so you've got to pace yourself.
01:03I don't care if we want to. Tampa, just beat New York.
01:05Just beat New York.
01:07The whole season's a failure if you lose, respectively?
01:10Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
01:11Because you know what?
01:11Because you lost because of the same problems you had last year.
01:15You couldn't hit.
01:16Here's the difference.
01:17The difference is now you've got a great manager.
01:20Like, from what happened, like, now you've got a guy who's going to take these guys in the future.
01:23In the regular season, he's great.
01:24You've also, you did it without your ace.
01:27Your ace is, unless, I know he goes out there and they, you know, do something insane and start him
01:31in game three,
01:33Garrett Crochet.
01:33But, no, I think that, and I even said it before they made the playoffs.
01:37I said, if they just simply make the playoffs, this season was a success.
01:42Correct.
01:43Just the way that they were out of pull, just pulled them out of the trash.
01:45So, yeah, I think as much as it sucks and as much as participation trophy that sounds,
01:50you can't look at it any other way.
01:53Okay, Rich, you and I agree.
01:54And I think I know Ted's answer to the rest of these.
01:56But let's go with Ted.
01:57Success or failure, the bats vanish, you lose games 2-1, 3-1, and you're out.
02:01Success or failure of the season?
02:03Oh!
02:04Couldn't be a bigger failure.
02:06Meh, meh, meh.
02:07Wrong, but like it, that's fine.
02:10Ken, what?
02:10Help me out, Stiz, help me out.
02:11I'm with Ted on this.
02:13Well, how can you be with me if you said it was excessive the first time?
02:16Because there's only one of these scenarios where I will say the season is a failure.
02:20We have not got there yet.
02:21Not even close.
02:21Oh, you're saying the entire season is a failure?
02:24Oh, okay.
02:25No, no.
02:26No, the season is not a failure.
02:28Now, the series, it would be, if they just don't hit it all, oh, dude, that's awful.
02:33Yeah.
02:34Right.
02:35For the series, it's a failure.
02:36For the season, you know, I'll give you that.
02:37The season is a failure.
02:38Okay, number three.
02:39Scenario three, Rich.
02:40Okay.
02:41The kids are overwhelmed.
02:43So, Tully gets hit tonight.
02:44The young guys are lost.
02:45Roman Anthony is a disaster.
02:47Crochet comes in and gets shelled.
02:49Abreu does nothing.
02:50Raphael does nothing.
02:51Durbin does nothing.
02:52If the core comes up empty, success or failure of a season based off that in this series.
02:58I mean, you're going to have to change your questions for me because I already said making
03:00the playoffs, it's a success.
03:02Lock it in.
03:03There we go.
03:04I agree.
03:06I mean, listen, that will be depressing, sure.
03:12And you're going to be able to, like, say, all right, there's some real questions here,
03:15but I think the season in all, now you're making me, like, second guess my whole thing
03:19about the season with these horribly depressing questions.
03:21Well, that's why it's a stress test.
03:23We're stress testing the success or failure.
03:25Okay, Ted, number four.
03:25Yeah.
03:26Chad Tracy is a mess.
03:29Leaves a starter in too long, goes to the wrong reliever, doesn't pinch hit, no small
03:33ball, screws up the bullpen sequence.
03:36If that happens, how does it affect success or failure of the season?
03:41Oh, how does it affect it?
03:44I mean, I would say it's different.
03:47No, because, yeah, I would say it's a little different.
03:50Lock it in.
03:51It's different.
03:52That's good enough.
03:52I like that answer.
03:53It's a little different, yeah.
03:54Then the players are off the hook, right?
03:56Yeah, a little bit.
03:57Yep, yep, yep, yep, yep.
03:58So it's just one guy making bad decisions that cost all his players a chance for glory.
04:04Yeah.
04:05Okay, let's just go to one final one.
04:06You can both weigh in on this.
04:07Okay.
04:07By the way, let me just add something to that.
04:09You know what you're going to be able to say after that?
04:11Dude, it's his first time here.
04:13That's what people are going to say.
04:14Yeah.
04:14Well, then you shouldn't have extended him.
04:17That's the truth.
04:18It's kind of what some people are going to be talking about if that happens.
04:23It's true.
04:23I hate to even surface this, but here's the only scenario where I think it's a failure.
04:27It's if they have them, and it's 0-3-esque, and it's a nuclear blow in game three, base
04:34running error, mistake, something where you have the lead, and you choke it away in game
04:37three.
04:38I don't even want to lock that in, but that's the only thing I think that would rip this
04:41season from success to failure for me.
04:44Locked in.
04:48All right.
04:49That's a statement, not a question.
04:49So, realistically, how does this series play out?
04:54Like, taking a look at the pitching matchups, taking a look at the lineups now that they're
04:58out, the players that they've got on the rosters.
05:01Let's start with you, Ken.
05:02How does this series play out?
05:03Sox win in three.
05:04I think they lose tonight.
05:05I don't think Tully will be bad or overwhelmed, but I just see them going five and running
05:10out of gas, and they get to your bullpen for a couple runs, and that's enough.
05:13Bounce back tomorrow.
05:15Sonny Gray in a grinder.
05:17Maybe even a comeback of your own, and then I love Ranger over Cole in the pressure of game
05:22three.
05:22Yankees are going to get way out over their skis and confident, and they're going to blow
05:26this series, and the Red Sox will be playing in Tampa on Saturday.
05:29You want me to go next?
05:31Hmm.
05:32All right.
05:33I'm going to be a realist here, and I hate myself for saying this.
05:37I think the Sox get swept.
05:39Oh!
05:40I love how you always say, I'm a realist, and they give opinions.
05:43I know.
05:44Well, I guess a realist in that.
05:49I want Peyton Tully to win this game more than anything, but Cam Schlittler is Cam Schlittler.
05:53I think they lose tonight.
05:55And I just think tomorrow, unfortunately, is one of those games where...
06:01The batting is going to die.
06:03There you go.
06:04I just...
06:05And it's the last month that doesn't make me feel so good, especially when Contreras...
06:12You know...
06:13Got a little ding in the head.
06:14Yeah.
06:15And I hate to say it.
06:17But then again, that's why a win would make this series legendary, because they should not
06:21win.
06:21The Red Sox, on paper, should not win this series.
06:24This is the best series of the first four, though.
06:26I think it's the most compelling.
06:27I mean, it's not over...
06:29Like, I mean, on paper, it's not overwhelming favorites.
06:33I mean, all the...
06:33Especially with Judge Out.
06:34With Judge Out, it's more even.
06:35It is.
06:36It is more even.
06:37It's also in Yankee Stadium.
06:38All the betting websites have, obviously, the Yankees.
06:41Matter of fact, not only winning the series, but winning tonight.
06:45So, realistically, I think they get swept.
06:47But I think it's tight.
06:48I think they play...
06:49I think they play well.
06:50They hang in there.
06:51But I think in game two, just the bats go dry.
06:56That's me.
06:56All right, my turn?
06:57Okay.
06:58I think they are, just like last year, they're going to...
07:01I think...
07:02Well, no, not just like last year, because they're going to lose tonight, win game two,
07:06lose game three, and it's all because the bats went quiet.
07:10Just like last year.
07:11Yeah.
07:11And we're all going to be talking about, can we get a big right-handed bat?
07:14And that's going to be the problem that's going to do them.
07:16And they're going to lose almost exactly like how they did last year.
07:20The games might be different which one they win or lose, because they won game one last year.
07:24But I think the bats are going to be quiet, and I think that's going to be a big topic
07:28in the offseason.
07:28I hope I'm wrong.
07:29I hope I'm wrong.
07:30And all of a sudden, we see a little bit of that midsummer magic.
07:32That would be awesome.
07:34And more than anything, I hope that Tully wins tonight.
07:37I just...
07:38I'm...
07:38The Yankees are a better team.
07:40And right now, there's so many question marks on the offense for the Red Sox.
07:44I just can't see them.
07:45I think they're going to get swept.
07:47But damn it, I hope it doesn't happen.
07:49I'm the opposite of you, Rich.
07:50I think the Red Sox are going to sweep.
07:52I quote tweeted Ken earlier today, 2-0 Red Sox.
07:55This team has been surprising us all year.
07:57You know, lose Devers, lose Roman, lose Garrett.
08:01They've continued to find a way.
08:02They got...
08:03They have 14 games under .500.
08:04They continue to find a way.
08:06I love it.
08:06They're supposed to lose on paper, and that's why Red Sox sweep.
08:10And to your point, they always played the best against the best competition.
08:15That's right.
08:15So...
08:16For a 37-game stretch out of 162 games.
08:19Yep.
08:20There you go.
08:21Yep.
08:21Don't pee on my court.
08:22Hey, don't let us get one.
08:24Don't let us win tonight, boy.
08:25That's right.
08:26That's right.
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